I ATB'd a Bike So You Don't Have To

[@feedbackzaloop]

Be honest: you swapped the tyres because Ritchey is easier to say than Schwalbe😉

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

True

[@stanley909]

Sshh-wal-bee Yeah, just stick with Ritchey.

[@lawrencelibby3607]

easier to mount, too.

[@adrechsel]

​@@stanley909More like "Shvalbuh", actually. So yeah, Richey definitely easier 😂

[@feedbackzaloop]

@@adrechsel oh c'mon, youngs! This is exactly because of this nobody understands you: don't try to decode your dialect trough American accent. Use IPA notations and Hochdeutsch: [ˈʃvalbə]

[@4tooitous]

Agree completely, changing the tires changes everything.

[@TheBikeSauce]

I also found the Speedmax to balloon up beyond 40mm. Mine measured 43mm wide, so bonus free suppleness.

[@csobering3108]

Love Laura’s air fist bump celebrating a successful climb

[@msburns3]

Maybe she was signaling for a Full Stop?

[@digdidit2346]

Coming from bmx I'm always putting taller bars and shorter stems on bikes to make them more playful and make the riding position more up right. I also jam the fattest tyres I can on everything!

[@sanraki]

Nice. Def needs a classic version of these bars instead of black ones.

[@BuckleyJonathan-nr1wu]

Agree. Was just going to say the same

[@jeffandersen6233]

I'm delighted to see how you adapt to your new riding environment. It's what everyone should be honest about when choosing a bike and components. I'm also intrigued by those high rise bars which might work on my old Gary Fischer MTN bike which I use for my granddad commuter bike. I look forward to more Euro rides.

[@MarcinPetruszka]

Absolutely. Tires change everything. I made a vintage steel Scott MTB into a city commuter by slapping Schwalbe Big Apple 26x2.15 on it. What a change! And those tires just won't wear out. Another thing which has huge impact on ride quality/comfort are the grips. Today I put Ergon GC1 on my wife's Larkspur. I'd advise anyone who has that kind of swept back bars to consider this little piece of kit. Worth every penny.

[@AaronHendu]

Cockpit is the biggest differnce IMO you can make...proper saddle, saddle angle and height, stem lengrh and rise, handlebars and grips...brake lever angles...

[@MarcinPetruszka]

@@AaronHendu all true.

[@lioneldm5130]

I put Schwalbe Hurricane 2.0-inch tires on a second-hand Decathlon Riverside, with wider bars. It's now a very capable gravel/mountain bike, much more stable. And it was cheap.

[@fnjfrancis]

I have a Pelago Outback, and I love getting solid fenders, a kickstand (it is just so practical) and Schwalbe tyres that don’t puncture. I use it for commuting and touring. I have been riding bicycles without fenders, kickstand etc. for years, but ended up missing the practicality.

[@nanoverse]

Pelago is great.

[@fnjfrancis]

@@nanoverse Yes, absolutely love it

[@egadsby8230]

I changed the tyres on my steel audax bike from 28 (front and back)to 32 on the back and 35 on the front - pretty good on smooth gravel paths now!

[@kyootbikes]

I like it when you say honkin

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Schwalbe G-One Allround are placeholders. They have no threads for any serious gravel riding, wear out super quick and are highly prone to punctures. Always had to remove them from bikes that came stock with them.

[@anielyantra1]

best move I ever made was to go to a Fincci 26x1.98 street tire and change wheels to an old seal bearing , Araya rim wheel set. the Araya rims are 21mm ID and a little heavier. Lose a little response for momentum and stability. Much smoother ride.

[@SebastianPeukert-ir4mp]

I think it's great that you're testing more European brands now that you live in Spain. The Pelago looks great with the new tyres and the ritchey handlebars. Are you just leaving the rear light off now? That would drive me nuts! I also used to have a mudguard with a rear light and wanted to replace it with a more robust one. But the new one didn't have room for the light and the cable. I then bought a new light from Supernova with a mount for the seat post. But that made the whole job more complicated and more expensive than originally planned

[@curtbrown7967]

Yes. It’s fun and relatively simple to ATB my bikes and the results are dramatically pleasing

[@ChrisCapoccia]

Definitely agree with the bigger tires. I swapped out the tires on my Diverge for the max rated width

[@Robert_Thomas832]

Added 38/40 tyres to my 80s racer, like it :) Narrow drops good into headwind. Thanks for sharing.

[@kaffeemitcola6506]

Going on summer vacations I ATBized my Touring bike in the past like I did as kid, not having the money to buy a mountainike but shredding the farmroads and trails in our Lüneburger Heide Wälder :-) on our secon hand sport bikes. As a lighter person its always a drastic change not only to feel the different tires but its so much nicer to safe some Kilos. And touring in summer, its so nice not to have a branch or sticks crumbling fenders, but just cracking when your bike inhales them... The look of the bike is cooler besides but that does not matter. Liebe Grüße und viel Spaß draußen solange es noch einigermaßen kühl ist.

[@IsaacBonnell]

PREACH! Changing my tires (to 700x40) has made a heeyuugggee difference for making my bike comfortable, and making me a more confident rider because the tires feel like they just stick to the road better. And honestly, same for the bars, but it took me 5 tries to find the right handlebars.

[@greggr1591]

Totally agree about changing tires to change the bike: on my Sam Hillborne I use 700x33 in town and 700x42 on the gravel; two different rides optimized for the terrain.

[@elij1150]

not the most drastic of changes, but i have an all-city space horse that's been my do-it-all commuter and adventurer for the past 5 years. recently started getting into gravel and made the jump to tubeless, dropping down to ~30 psi (650b x 38) and swapped the stock bars for salsa's cowchipper with more flare, and wrapped them in wolftooth's cushy silicone tape. it was comfortable before but even better now, and perfectly capable on mild singletrack. the tires truly feel like riding on clouds. i could definitely fit wider ones on there and get some beefier tread while i'm at it if i wanted, but then i'd have to ditch my fenders. and as long as i'm still spending most of my time on the road, that feels like overkill. also as of two days ago, a friend is lending me her brooks saddle to try out before i drop the money on one. which i'm definitely going to do, now that i can confirm i love it.

[@glen3509]

I've had a Thomson 130mm 10° rise Elite stem since 2010 and their Elite 410mm× 31.6mm post since 2018. This Elite post is at the max line, and it's held up my wight. I was at 255 lbs. for years , and it's still going strong🤘🤘.

[@whispering_pines]

In the olden days I removed the mnt bike tires from a Cannondale Caffeine F series and put on 1.5” road tires - can’t recall the brand - for my urban commute. Roughly estimated a 15%reduction in time over same route but still plenty smooth - and quieter too. Tires matter.

[@marksandoval5361]

I would have installed the 700x47 Specialized Pathfinder Pro tires. Lots of volume, roll very fast. My favorite Gravel tire. I would cut the riser bar narrower, maybe 25 inches wide. I can feel increased wind resistance using wide bars.

[@soarstar]

I don't know that this frame could accommodate them, but the Schwalbe Thunder Burt is an exceptional all-rounder (~54mm). Marketed as an XC tire with lower rolling resistance than many narrow gravel-tires, while providing great off-road performance. Just don't send it on leafy or muddy trails!

[@BuckleyJonathan-nr1wu]

If I was upgrading a bike like this, I would go no further than the Velo orange range of parts - especially the handlebars which would better match your silver stem. I’ve changed many of my bikes from Schwalbe to Panaracer Tyres recently and it has dramatically improved the comfort and looks.

[@BrentZahradnik]

Fun project - those speedmax tires got me like 👀. I run WTB nanos 40mm tubeless on my 700c wheels at the moment but could try those next.

[@CharlieMetcalf]

Looks like the Rivendell Clem. I too prefer wider taller bars. Nice review of the Pelago!

[@jamesalexander7540]

I still think that the Continental Top Touring in 700x47 is the best all around tire that I have ridden.

[@Frostbiker]

Can't find that name in their catalog. Do you mean the Conti Top Contact?

[@keespreston5145]

@@Frostbiker They definitely used to sell a tire by that name. Unfortunately I find that Conti often discontinues tires before I wear out the first set of anything I like (e.g. the AT Ride, and some other decent gravel/touring tire)...

[@Michaelgroberts]

Great content as always Russ 👌🏻 I hope you guys are enjoying life this side of the pond in Spain. A swap from the ritchey venture max comp bars to something like these bars has been on my mind for a while with my gravel hybrid thing I made in the pandemic.

[@ThatFlowState]

The B+M Secula plus would have been a good replacement for the fender mounted rear light. It attaches to the seat stays si it probably worked with the wiring. No rear light isn't an option for me in a bike i use in the city.

[@devinvagt7914]

Going from a 28 mm to 35 mm tires totally changed my experience on my bike. I had to Dent the frame to do it though. But is titanium so I'm sure it will be fine

[@scottjantzen7]

I switched out my drop bars for the Jones H-Loop Bars. I think those bars would be awesome on this bike.

[@tongpocalypse151]

Ditto on those bars although I just threw on the Kyote which is the predecessor of the Buzzard - the initial forward sweep put me forward quite a bit so I sized down from 100mm to a 70mm and still feel stretched out. Also 800mm is way too wide I don't know how people ride on the streets with 700mm+ bars I can't even imagine going on narrow singletrack with them. My next move is to either cut the Kyote bars down or switch back to 640mm bars altogether. Cutting the Kyote means I'm being stretched forward even more so I dunno. I really like how they look and they seemed they'd be really comfortable but so far the jury is still out for me. Let's see after some more riding.

[@robbchastain3036]

A rad wagon, luv it, Russ, something for a Euro gravel event, first in the expat class, woohoo! Or last, still a winner for riding party pace. 😀

[@jotham123]

I'm usually trying to go from rad-wagon to dad wagon 😂😂😂

[@stavrosphotios264]

Did you consider saving the rear cables for a light that attaches to the seatstay?

[@nickkowal6537]

Next stop is tyre comparison vids. Pirelli, Hutchinson, maxxis, michelin, vredestein there are thousands of easily pronouncable options.

[@TroubleshootGamingMeds]

I want this bike!

[@joelmicah7014]

Try the ass saver rear fender win wing and a down tube fender mount.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

That should be Airisto, not Aristo. Pelago is a Finnish brand, and Airisto is a sea area/archipelago in southwestern Finland. :)

[@positiivi_teme]

Great changes! But what did you ebd up doing with the rear light? Might recommend those swaps for couple of friends, but I guess it'll be better to let a bike shop do the wire swapping? Have no idea about dynamo wiring.

[@rockkin09]

TPU tubes! Night and day vs Butyl.

[@jaimealejandrocifuentesrui9393]

I have only 1 bike, and I use it with swappwd tyres for asphalt, commute or mtb... Depending on the season or the reason...

[@Fetherko]

Can you judge the handling without a few kilograms in the front basket?

[@tomreingold4024]

Thanks for this video. Isn't it remarkable how much changing the bar seems to give you a new bike? I will call your attention to the name Schwalbe and how it's spelled. The L comes before the B, so it should not rhyme with cobble. It's SHWAHL-buh.

[@glen3509]

Hey, you might remember me messaging you about Thomson's Elite stems and bars over a month ago. Sure, there might be other manufacturers just as light and maybe as strong; but it's their craftsmanship/cncing that sets Thomson apart from the rest🤘🤘. As you know, their stems and seatposts are ALL one solid piece of 7000 series aluminum 🤘🤘 "YEAH❗️"

[@MattnUska]

4:46 Correction: tires are the only part of the bike that are supposed to touch the ground. Haha.

[@tompi5]

What make/model is the basket?

[@astrowind9580]

What is the widest you'd go in 650b?

[@LordNormandy]

Too bad the fenders had to go. I’ve really gotten into them in the last couple of years.

[@AmusedDaffodils-mz5rw]

Wow I like this bike

[@austinsp00l24]

I was taking a look at that bar earlier this week, went back to place and order today and they're already sold out. Did you use a shorter stem just to compensate for width or were you aiming to move the reach back a little?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Both.

[@nanoverse]

Where is this. Looks like Italy.

[@sagehiker]

Interesting transformation. Curious if there is room for new fenders? I am really sold on the newer Richey alt bars and putting them on my family's resto-mod commuters.

[@peglor]

Lack of fenders, even on bikes for off road use only, makes the experience of riding (And cleaning up afterwards) a lot less pleasant for anyone in a cold temperate maritime climate. Dry roads and trails are a genuinely rare experience here.

[@youngpm]

Do you think a Fabio's Chest would work with the Buzzard Bar?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Yes. The only limitation would be tire clearance.

[@clawrence034]

Groupsets don't matter until they don't work. I broke my shifter on last night's ride, have broken a bunch of other parts. What's the most durable groupset out there?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Friction shifters FTW :)

[@matthewshultz8762]

Flat bars with index I really like 10 or 11 speed Shimano Deore or SLX. 1x12 SRAM GX is also good but much more expensive for the cassette. For brifters it's hard to get away from Shimano 105 series, any speed is great even the older stuff but you will have to match the 'speed' on all parts of drivetrain which is annoying, as well as brakes.

[@freespeechoneeach]

second! great colour

[@luisequihua7246]

i really want those bars but seems impossible to get them right now

[@thomasking9788]

bikeinn. Even with shipping it's probably the best price. I've ordered from them twice and had no problems. Just ordered 2 sets. If you're in a hurry, it probably won't work though.

[@mofmanp8874]

Are the bars 820mm wide ?

[@fastandcurious]

I fully agree with your assessment. Tires, handlebar and maybe the stem. Also I use MTB barends placed inwatds at the turns of the handlebar as well as modern innerbarends "spirgrips" next to the brake levers. I have made a video comparing Spirgrips and SQLab Innerbarends. Spirgeips are more expensive but do much better. I have used these components to transform my 94 GT Tequesta into a restomod ATB. Ritchey Kyote, taller stem, wide Schwalbe Rocket Rons. Those are MTB Cross Country, but very lightweight, fast and reasonable affordable. We have lots of rain in the most northern part of Germany. Specifically around here clay soil and sand near the coast so I learned the hard way that gravel tires are not grippy enough.

[@arthor675somthing]

In your opinion how do groupsets effect the handling of a bike?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

They don’t IMO.

[@dreamcyclevancouver]

Teamwork! Lets go

[@michaelbosch9024]

cool build wish the bars were alloy though. im guessing you too :)

[@karolleon]

Nice gloves. What are those?

[@Paulklampeeps]

Can you do one with mtb

[@velkillmer]

что за податливая сторона?

[@davetbassbos]

Tires are like, like your shoes: Hiking boots are going to feel way different than tennis shoes. but the real question is which tire is the equivalent of Crocs?

[@winterwatson6437]

hookless tires? they slip off pretty well

[@davetbassbos]

@@winterwatson6437 Ha Ha and they are trendy too!

[@glennpettersson9002]

Tyres maketh bike🤓

[@heromixzen6941]

2

[@newbieuserguy6899]

schwaLBE not schwaBLE. It ends with a BEE sound, unless I'm ignorant of an inside joke or a weird Continental convention.

[@user-je3wl3zo6n]

First!

[@davidcummings5826]

Ack! Removing fenders?? 😵😱🫢

[@Lori-Watts]

I ATB'd a Bike so you don't have to... because turning it into a rad wagon was way more fun!

[@flyinsaucer138]

have to agree, tires are a major factor